Match Fixing: Three Hong Kong Cricketer Suspended

> Dipto Paul
Hong Kong’s Ahmed brothers given life ban and their team mate Haseeb Amjad given a five year ban from all cricket matches for fixing  a match, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
Irfan Ahmed (28) who had already served a 30 month ban and Nadeem Ahmed (31) with Haseeb Amjad (30) have been charged by the ICC on a total of 19 counts of breaching the code.
Only Irfan faces nine charges while other two faces five charges, both under the ICC’s anti-corruption code.
The trio were provisionally suspended by the world governing body in October after being charged for “fixing or contriving” aspects of Hong Kong’s World Cup qualifiers against Scotland and Canada in 2014.

The anti-corruption unit’s(ACU) general manager Alex Marshall said, the Ahmed brothers’ actions were “premeditated and sophisticated”.
“This has been a long and complex investigation which has uncovered systematic attempts to influence moments in matches by experienced international cricketers over a period of time,” he added.
He also said, “With the fixers finding it harder than ever before to penetrate the highest levels of the game, we are increasingly seeing them turn their attention to other avenues in the sport. The severity of the offences is reflected in the sanctions and I hope will deter other players from taking this path and demonstrate to cricket fans around the world our commitment to a corruption free sport”.
Sir Ronnie Flanagan, chairman of the ACU, said, “This penalty should act as a reminder to all participants of the need to comply with their obligations under the Code at all times, and in particular the requirement to report corrupt approaches to the ACU without any delay”.